Brigid & Gabe // Our Engagement Story

07/11/2016

Hello my dears! Life can change so dramatically in such a short time, can it not? One day you may only be dreaming of something happening, thinking some distant day in the future you will see your dream unfold in all its beauty, and then the very next day it comes true. I never ever thought I would be in a relationship this year, especially not engaged! I thought I would have to wait years for that day to come. But nevertheless here I sit, with a ring on my finger (yes, that beautiful ring in the photo above is my engagement ring! Isn’t it gorgeous?), pledged to be married to the most wonderful man in the world in just three short months. I already wrote about My & Gabe’s story, but I thought some of you might enjoy reading about the day that we became engaged, so I am going to share that story today.

We had been up at Gabe’s family’s house for the weekend. Gabe and I spent the weekend planning our wedding, enjoying time with his family and mine, reading, swimming, going out to dinner, etc. Then Sunday came and Mom and Dad left to go home early in the afternoon. Gabe and my sisters and I would return home the following day. We spent the early afternoon at one of Gabe’s brother’s baseball games, and then we went back to the Everson’s house for the remainder of the day. We all decided to go for a swim in the Everson’s pool later in the day, and the sun was far along in it’s evening descent, causing all of us to feel a bit chilly upon exiting the pool. So, Gabe and I went for a walk around the property to dry off in the sunshine, until we came to a swing, where we stopped and sat down.

Now, you know Gabe and I have a special things for swings from what I wrote in my last post, but I wasn’t even thinking of that when I sat down on the swing, and Gabe sat next to me on the lawn. I must say both of us looked a sight! Still in our swimsuits, with messy (and I mean MESSY!) pool hair, and dirty bare feet. But I didn’t care one bit… alright, maybe just a little… 😉

Anyhow, we sat there for a time, talking off and on. Then Gabe asked me, “Is this a pretty place?” I replied that it was, having absolutely no clue what he was up to. I had entirely forgotten that just a week or so prior I had told him when he proposed* that all I wanted was for him to take me to some pretty place, where it was just the two of us, and just say it. All of it. The whole proposal. But I had absolutely no clue when he asked me if the area where we sat was a pretty place that such a thought was running through his head.

A few moments after Gabe asked that question, he turned away from me and looked off into the distance with a queer, troubled expression on his face. To me it looked as if he was fighting a mental battle, so I asked him what was wrong. He said it was nothing, but I knew he was fibbing, so I persisted that something was indeed wrong. Gabe insisted that nothing was wrong, so I let the matter be, figuring he would tell me eventually. Then his face cleared, and he turned to me with an expression of calm joy on his face. He got up on his knees in front of me and said, very slowly, with weight to each word, “Brigid Kathleen Boyer, will you marry me?” I wasn’t surprised, or shocked, as I always expected I would be when he finally asked the question. Instead it was as if it was simply the final voicing of thoughts that we had been exchanging for the past few weeks. So, I simply smiled and said yes. Oh, but the joy that surged through me! There was no ring in his hand, that came a few weeks later when it was finally finished (Gabe designed it and had it made), but I didn’t care one bit. How could I care for earthly treasures, when I possessed the treasure of Gabe’s smile, the gold of the sun shining on the fields in the golden hour, and the wealth of a heart filled with love to overflowing. All God’s good gifts given at the perfect moment, in the perfect hour, to two imperfect people. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The memory will reside in my mind forever and a day, perfect in every way.

I am sure some of you are wondering about the ring that Gabe designed for me, so I will tell you the meaning behind each of its components. There are three bands in the ring, to represent the Trinity. A prong comes up out of each band to support both of our birthstones, an amethyst for Gabe, and a ruby for me, which represent how the Lord preserves and supports Gabe and I through our walk on this earth. The diamond in the middle represents our coming marriage. Isn’t it just beautiful?

So, now you know my engagement story. I am not sure how much wedding planning I will be sharing on the blog, especially wedding dress planning, as a certain person reads the blog who isn’t supposed to see the wedding dress until our special day (Hello Gabe!). 😉 But, Lord willing, I will be sharing other projects, as well as outfit posts, in the coming months.

If you are married, where did you get engaged?

What would be your dream location for a proposal?

Blessings,

Brigid, the Middle Sister and Singer

*we were completely open and up front about such topics as getting engaged, knowing that we wanted to get married, so we didn’t pretend that I didn’t know he would propose eventually.

About Brigid

Brigid is the Copy Editor, and Advertising manager of the blog. She also happens to be the middle sister of the trio, a role which she thoroughly enjoys. When she is not blogging, she fills her time by sewing her own wardrobe of vintage inspired and historical garments; studying fashion, history, or some random fact about the world; and cooking up some new (or old) dish in the kitchen.

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We enjoy your comments so much! But please, if you don't have anything nice to say, refrain from expressing it on our blog. Boyer Sisters is a judgement-free zone, and we welcome all community engagement that comes from a place of love, rather than fear. Thanks for taking the time to comment! :)

I know it sounds like it would be an easy way to get hurt, but Gabe and I already knew we wanted to get married, so the engagement was really just a formal expression of that desire. We were merely waiting until Gabe had the ring to get engaged (which didn’t end up happening as you read).

My sweet friend , what a beautiful statement. All in romanticism and poetry. I know I ‘ve said , but I ‘m so happy for you . Now it ‘s been 10 years that my husband and I are married , a complicity of life , joy and sometimes a few sentences, but so little. I hope your happiness will live up to your dreams and your family grows very quickly and that resound little feet in your future home . Soon. Marlène

Okay, it’s been a while since I’ve commented; so long I think, that I may not have even told you congrats on your engagement! You two look so happy together, I can’t wait to see the rest of your story unfold. That ring is just beautiful, and the story behind it is too. How neat to have a special, one-of-a-kind ring with your story crafted into it’s very details!
A side note, I like the new blog design! It’s very fresh, clean, and user-friendly. 😉
Many blessings to all three of you, I hope your summer is going well!
~Abby

A beautiful simple story of two people who know for certain they are made for each other and allow love to bathe them in its glory. I hope all future plans go well my dear. By the way, my mum’s name is Kathleen and I’ve always considered it to be a beautiful name. Many blessings to you and your husband to be.

I am very happy for you I only hope that I can be as happy as you one day.

And this is how I would want it to be…
My dream proposal would for me and my friend (who is a boy but not a boyfriend) to be taking a walk outside around my house and in the field about 8:00 in the morning in April. (while I am wearing my favorite skirt) I also somehow want him to use my great grandmothers engagement ring but I am not sure how that would work : )

Really all that matters is for him to be the right man that God wants me to marry.

My husband and I met at a conference in upstate New York. I lived in Oklahoma, he lived in Wyoming. We emailed each other back and forth (with full parental knowledge and permission) for about 4 weeks when he called and asked permission to court me.

We courted 4 hours a week over Skype, 2 hours Tuesdays and 2 hours Thursdays, plus the occasional text and email. And I do mean occasional. My man was in school full time plus working on the side. He didn’t have a whole lot of spare time to spend talking to me!

We knew very soon the Lord was leading us to marriage, we started discussing it in November before he proposed. It was a little uncomfortable for me, since I knew he was going to propose, but I didn’t know when or where. As far as proposal requirements go, all I wanted was for it to be in person- not over Skype!

January 13th, 6 months to the day we met and the day before I turned 22, he took me out to eat. Unusual in our courtship structured relationship, but since we had only spent 12 days in the same state since we had started our relationship, our parents gave special permission for him to take me to one meal alone every trip. We ate a quick meal of Mexican and were walking back to the car when he said he wanted to show me something. We stopped at a park bench and he pulled out my parents iPad and proceeded to show me the labor of love he had worked on- a music video he had made (he is professionally a filmmaker/photographer/editor) and his mom played the piano for him to sing the song for the video. The last of it was a slide that said ‘Proverbs 31:10’. He proceeded to go down on one knee and quoted the verse ‘A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.’ And asked me to marry him. It was absolutely perfect. It was quiet, private, and simple. Just the way I wanted it to be.

What a beautiful story, and a beautiful meaningful ring. Heartiest good wishes to you both!

My now husband asked me, accidentally, when we were walking my parents’ labrador together one evening after Christmas. But he properly got down on one knee with the ring later, in the springtime. It was on Castle Mound in Edinburgh, which was covered with daffodils, and I cried because the tale of our long waiting was come to fulfilment.

My hubby proposed to me in the woods behind his parents’ house. We sat down to pray together. He started praying for our marriage and then slipped the ring on my finger. Then we both started crying and hugging. We kind of forgot about the whole asking bit until later but he knew I’d say yes.

We had also talked about getting married before hand and had even browsed rings together. I think, when done correctly, these types of conversations will help your relationship be on the same page when you get to actually be married. Being happily in love is a wonderful (and important!) part of marriage but so is clear communications and being on the same page.

What a lovely story! I am glad that you were keeping very open with each other about your hopes for the future, but at the same time you were actually surprised by the proposal. 🙂 That is just about how I would have it. Nothing big and fancy, but some quiet pretty place like a covered bridge or a simple sunset would be enough to please me.

Well I can understand not wanting to give away the secret of your dress, but I do hope you will tell us all about it after the wedding.

Your ring is gorgeous. I think it is very special that he designed it and incorporated both your birthstones in it.

What a beautiful story, and what a beautiful ring! I love the story behind the design of it :-). I am not married, but if i was ever asked i would love it to be in a beautiful quiet place, just me and him, at midnight (i love the moon and stars in a clear nightsky, always have)… Who knows, maybe in the future

My husband and I will be celebrating our 15th this coming fall and I wanted to say we already had our Pastor set aside the day and a hall booked. We were talking one day and decided we wanted a Autumn wedding as it was/is my favorite season and we did not want to wait a year for that to happen and we had to book thing quick for that to happen, but we (he) was not fully prepared for a full proposal when we came to that conclusion. I think my Grandma may have even ordered her plan ticket before he officially asked, LOL. We all knew God’s will would shine through in the end.

What a lovely story. For us as well, the engagement was more a formality. We knew we were going to get married for well over a year before we got engaged, we were waiting for the right time. He proposed overlooking Sydney Harbour, just quietly, no frills, and the perfect ring. We were engaged for a little over six months, and been married now for nineteen months. The whole marriage thing is a lot of fun!

My sister and brother-in-law (that still feels kinda funny to say :D) were wedding planning before the “official” engagement–when he presented her the ring, so the idea isn’t as strange to me as it once was. I guess if you know, you know. (That’s basically what my mom told me once when I asked “How do you *know*??”)

I really haven’t the slightest clue how or where I’d want to be proposed to…though I prefer the idea of just “me and him” and in a non-public spot.

Anyway, I’ve been praying for y’all and will keep right on doing so. 🙂

And yes, the ring is gorgeous! I love the fact that it has so much personal meaning and symbolism to it. Once you mentioned it, though, I realized that I never once have considered a scrap of what my “dream proposal” would look like…Hm, lots to think about there! Well, congratulations!

Dear Brigid,
Thank you for sharing your lovely engagement story! I am so happy for you! It is so cool that Gabe made the ring himself. And I really appreciate all the beautiful and rich symbolism he put into it. That is really special.
I look forward to reading more about your plans!
God bless
+JMJ+
Marie Philomena

That ring is amazing! After reading your story and this, you two seem completely perfect for each other. Wow, I am so happy for you Brigid! 😀

My husband proposed underneath the leafy branches of a cherry tree at “golden hour: in my parent’s orchard. He pretended to find the ring in a birdhouse up in the tree, which I thought was cute. 😉 The orchard is one of my favorite places to be, so he couldn’t have picked a more perfect spot.

We openly discussed our wedding before we were engaged, too. I thought it made it easier, since we were both on the same page on how soon after the proposal the wedding should be. Since I wanted an outdoor wedding, and we didn’t want to wait until next spring (we got engaged in July), a short engagement seemed best considering our North Idaho winters. 🙂

Anyway… So, so excited to read this happy news!! You and Gabe will be in my prayers as you prepare for your wedding!

That has to be the most thoughtful ring I’ve ever heard of! I can only dream that whomever I marry is half as sweet. I hope you will be very happy and will be looking forward to seeing your wedding projects (if you decide to share them. : )

What a lovely story. I love your love story. Do share more. And what a beautiful ring! Yes, I am married, in fact we have silver anniverssary 24 August. We will not have a big party, we will go on a river cruise , just the two of us, because I think it is about our love, not a big expensive dinner for all our friends and family. I still love him very much, he is not rich and handsome, but he is the best mand in the world. I have written our love story some years ago on my (now closed) blog:http://gt-sanne2.blogspot.dk/2011/08/once-upon-time.html

I think love and marriage is about setting each other free. Giving each other space to do what you love to do. My husband is a sports fanatic, and I’ve always given him the time to do his sports (ice hockey, surfing, hunting, sailing, bicycling, younameit!), because then he was happy, and I loved him happy. And I have my alone time to sew and craft – and he repairs my vintage car in return! 😉 Wishing you lots of love and luck (and a nice weekend). XOXO Sanne 🙂

Hey, gal! We're Charlotte + Jessica, the Boyer Sisters. Around here, we present a raw, vibrant perspective on what it means to be a creative gal after God’s own heart. We believe in the breath-taking freedom that is found by putting Christ first in our lives and letting everything else follow.